Delta allowing one-way Virgin Atlantic redemptions – with no taxes from the US

US airline Delta, 49% shareholder in Virgin Atlantic, gave its Delta SkyMiles reward scheme a major shake-up on January 1st.  I won’t go into the details because it isn’t of much interest to flyers in the UK, but the one upside (against many downsides) from the changes is the introduction of one way redemptions.

Let me tell you why this is good news for UK flyers.  Delta adds fuel surcharges and extraneous fees to redemptions which start outside the US.  Redemptions which start inside the US have always been free of taxes.  However, the requirement to book a return flight – starting in the US – made it very difficult to take advantage if you lived in the UK.

Now that Delta allows you to book one-way redemptions, the game has changed.  You can book a one-way redemption on Virgin Atlantic from the US to the UK using Delta SkyMiles and pay no taxes or charges.

Let’s take a look at a few one way redemptions on Virgin Atlantic to show you what I mean.  Note that Delta seems to have exactly the same availability for Virgin Atlantic redemptions as you would get if you used Virgin Flying Club miles.

Here are two costed examples of flights on Virgin Atlantic from the US to London:

New York to Heathrow – economy

17,500 Virgin Flying Club miles + $135

30,000 Delta SkyMiles + $5

New York to Heathrow – Upper Class

40,000 Virgin Flying Club miles + $420

62,500 Delta SkyMiles + $5

The difference is startling.  When flying FROM the US to the UK, whilst you need more SkyMiles than Flying Club Miles for the same redemption, the charges are virtually nothing.  The best deal is in Upper Class where, in my example, you are saving over $400.

However, if you look at some Virgin Atlantic redemptions starting outside the US, the picture is completely different.  The Delta redemptions are terrible value in all classes:

Heathrow to Atlanta – economy

17,500 Virgin Flying Club miles + £182

30,000 Delta SkyMiles + £235

Heathrow to Atlanta – Upper Class

40,000 Virgin Flying Club miles + £345

62,500 Delta SkyMiles + £361

Heathrow to Dubai – economy

19,250 Virgin Flying Club miles + £173

25,000 Delta SkyMiles + £213

Heathrow to Dubai – Upper Class

40,000 Virgin Flying Club miles + £335

42,500 Delta SkyMiles + £335

If you live in the UK the easiest way of earning Delta miles is from an American Express Membership Rewards transfer at 1:1.

This is definitely a strategy worth bearing in mind if you have a decent pile of Membership Rewards points.  You could choose to use your Amex points for a one-way flight FROM the US on Virgin (booked with Delta miles to wipe out the fuel surcharge) and then use Virgin Flying Club miles or Avios to book the outbound.

As a SkyTeam partner, you can earn Delta SkyMiles from flights on Air France, KLM, Korean etc.  You can also credit Virgin Atlantic flights to Delta.  Delta is a Starwood Preferred Guest partner if you have a decent stash of SPG points.

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 15,000 Virgin Points):

You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 40,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 40,000 Virgin Points.

Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points. 

(Want to earn more Virgin Points?  Click here to see our recent articles on Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club and click here for our home page with the latest news on earning and spending other airline and hotel points.)